Can you identify your entire company in one image that needs to large or small, color or black & white? If your company logo didn’t immediately leap to mind, then you have a problem with your identity.

The Importance of Logos

Corporate logos represent one of the greatest challenges of graphic design. Your logo must separate you from competitors, reinforce your brand, and convey a sense of who you are and what you offer. And it must do all of this while being visually appealing and memorable. That’s a tall order for such a small item, and that’s why corporate logo design should be taken seriously.

Logo Design Specialists

Given everything that a corporate logo must accomplish, it’s easy to see why logo design is such a specialized field. You should think of logos as much more than a company’s symbol. Think of them as an inseparable part of your company. It should be on your stationary, website, promotional items… even facsimiles, invoices and contracts. Some companies go so far as to include their logo on all e-mails.

But without an eye-catching logo, your customers won’t remember you. That’s why hiring a professional to create a logo is so important.

The Logo Design Process

To deliver a logo that captures the essence of your company, a marketing company like Intra-Focus, Inc. starts out by gathering as much information as possible. You should expect a combination of survey questionnaires, conference calls and in-person meetings. You need to describe your company in your own words. What is your company all about? Who is your audience? What sets you apart from the competition?

Armed with this information, marketing companies will then begin the logo design process by starting “from scratch” based on the information gathered, or they can work from any sketches and ideas you might have. While the design company has the talent, nobody will understand your company better than you. If you want a key motif in your logo, then be sure to bring it up. Nothing is more frustrating that designing logos for days on end when you have a clear idea of exactly what you want.

Your marketing company should present you with two or three designs for you to review. This is a starting point. You may see one immediately that you like, or you may want to go in a different direction.

If none of the designs work for you, try to find one that you feel captures some of what you are looking for and give the designers feedback based on that logo. This helps to narrow down what you like.

It is possible that none of the designs are acceptable. Don’t get discouraged! To create your ideal logo, you might go through twenty different designs before you get a final product. This is normal and necessary to weed out all of the possibilities.

Even after you have chosen a final design, feel free to ask for minor adjustments until you are completely satisfied. You are going to be looking at this logo for the next several years, so you should be happy with it.

Where’s My Name?

Most businesses feel that they need their name in their logo. However, this isn’t necessarily a good idea. Remember that your logo is going to need to be very small with some uses. If you have a long name like “Smithville’s Tempting Tapioca Company”, the name is going to look like a blurry line. On that note, if your name is five letters like “Swish” or “Zings”, then working your name into the logo is more viable.

A good rule of thumb is to think of the famous logos that are in the business world. How many of them have a company name? Nike has one of the most recognizable logos out there. Even though it is only four letters, they chose instead to have a symbol and look where they are now? What about Macintosh Computers? That name is much too long, so they chose a symbol that was the same as their name. Chick-Fil-A went a different route by using a symbol in their name that showcased their main product.

Whatever you want, be sure to ask your marketing company about their process. Make sure that it is a process similar to the one in this article. If they don’t come close to showing this kind of care when branding your company, then get out while you can or you might end up with a solid circle representing your company for the next ten years!

A quick check list when reviewing a logo proposal:

Does this logo tell me anything about what I do?

Is this logo professional?

Is there anything about this logo that might be politically incorrect?

With the internet taking over modern-day media and becoming so important to the livelihood of businesses, many companies have found that they need to rebrand their presence in the marketplace. While this task may seem daunting, Intra-Focus, Inc. has created a companywide rebranding process that eases companies through the transition.

Intra-Focus, Inc., a full-service marketing company that integrates art and technology with marketing expertise and trend setting creativity, has been helping its clients build brand strategy and market presence that generate qualified demand and quantifiable results. Since 2001, Intra-Focus has helped 143 clients realize their internet solutions. The success of its internet solutions product has seen an influx in the amount of customers who wish to completely rebrand their online and offline presence.

“Intra-Focus has created a new way of thinking in marketing,” said Robert Cowes, Products and Services Principal. “A few years ago, we would help a company with a specific marketing need. Now, we are helping our clients with all of their marketing needs and giving them a fresh look to attract new customers and to retain loyal clients.”

Typically, the Intra-Focus rebranding process starts with the logo design—either creating a completely new design or tweaking the existing design. Once the logo has been approved, the rebranding branches off to multiple people on multiple production teams. Stationery (business cards, envelopes, thank-you cards, etc.) with the new logo incorporated is created. New brochures or sales slicks are produced using updated content and pictures from Intra-Focus’ large photo library. Also included in a typical rebranding package is full SEO and usability treatment of the website. Next in the production timeline is the design of the website, which is shaped by the look and feel of the brochure to ensure that the branding bridges between print and internet marketing.

Once the web design has been approved and built, Intra-Focus creates automatic e-mail campaigns that respond to a client when internet users fill out online forms. These e-marketing components also contain the key branding elements.

Clients who have used the award-winning rebranding product at Intra-Focus have been so pleased with the results that they have continued the relationship with additional e-mail campaigns and direct mail pieces.

Results are key in this process and Intra-Focus has proven that they understand how to get outstanding results from something as seemingly effortless as a company makeover.